Mayakovsky's man moving to N.Y.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Trainer Patrick Biancone calls Gotham Stakes winner Mayakovsky "a New Yorker living in California." That is about to change. When Biancone ships Mayakovsky back to New York for the Grade 1 Wood Memorial on April 13, both horse and trainer will become New Yorkers. Biancone said Monday that he is moving his California-based stable to New York, where he will have a 10-horse string at Belmont Park.

"Next time we come, home is coming with him because I'm going to be based in New York from the first of April," Biancone said Monday morning at his temporary New York home, Aqueduct's barn 4.

Biancone said that the increased workman's compensation rates in California, a desire of many of his European-based owners to race in New York, and a talented crop of juveniles are why he is coming east. Last December, a one-year contract Biancone had with owner Frank Stronach expired, enabling Biancone to open a public stable.

"I have no American owners; all of my owners are from Europe and Hong Kong," Biancone said. "They ask me for a long time to come here. I don't want to come here before I have horses that are able to compete."

Sunday, Mayakovsky proved he could compete at the highest level. Away from the races for 197 days, Mayakovsky galloped to a 3 3/4-length victory in the $200,000 Gotham Stakes, earning him a return trip for the $750,000 Wood Memorial. Depending on that performance, Mayakovsky could earn a berth in the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

Biancone decided to ship Mayakovsky back to California on Tuesday because he feels that Mayakovsky's current home at Santa Anita is a better place to rest and recover from his Gotham performance. Mayakovsky looked bright and was given a thorough once-over from Dr. Dave Bryan at Aqueduct Monday morning. Bryan and Biancone both declared Mayakovsky sound and fit.

Mayakovsky had not been out since finishing second behind Came Home in the Hopeful at Saratoga last Sept. 1. On Sept. 25, he suffered a hairline fracture in his left hind pastern and underwent surgery. He resumed light training in early December and started galloping on Jan. 1.

Biancone said he shipped Mayakovsky to New York "ready to win. I don't bring him just for him to run."

Mayakovsky ran well, making all the pace under Edgar Prado and covering the mile in 1:34.90. The only disconcerting thing about the victory was Mayakovsky drifting out badly in the stretch.

"I would not tell you I like the fact he does that," said Biancone, whose horse set a Saratoga track record for 5 1/2 furlongs winning his maiden first time out. "But he did it the first time he ran. When he ran in the Hopeful [when Mayakovsky finished second behind Came Home] he did not do it. On the other hand, he wasn't by himself [that day]; he was with another horse. Edgar said he was just looking around. It's something we need to work on."

Mayakovsky will again meet Saarland in the Wood Memorial. Saarland had not been out since winning the Remsen Stakes last Nov. 24 and finished well to be second in the Gotham. Trainer Shug McGaughey liked that Saarland ran so professionally in his 3-year-old debut and believes the two turns of the Wood will be better for him.

"He changed leads the right way, he wasn't looking in the stands," McGaughey said. "I was pretty pleased with what I saw."

Wrangler bled, will skip Carter

, who finished fourth as the 4-5 favorite in Saturday's Toboggan Handicap, bled through Lasix and also suffered a seizure following the race, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. Jerkens added that Wrangler would be given some time off and would not run in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on April 13.

"He fell in the shed," of Aqueduct's testing barn, Jerkens said. "His electrolytes were way down and he went into shock. We had to run a whole lot of fluids through him. That night, he was crabby behind. By [Sunday] afternoon he was starting to feel a little bit normal."

The Toboggan was Wrangler's fourth race in 11 weeks. He had won the previous three including the Grade 2 General George Handicap at Laurel Park on Feb. 18. Jerkens said that even if the horse recovers quickly, he would not even consider running in the Carter.

"This has got to set him back quite a ways," Jerkens said. "He'll probably be back to his old self in a couple of days, but still it's not enough to think he can run in a race like that."

As disappointing as Wrangler was Saturday, Jerkens had to be heartened on Sunday to see Dat You Miz Blue come from off the pace to win a 6 1/2-furlong allowance race by three-quarters of a length over Look of the Lynx. Racing in fourth position early under Javier Castellano, Dat You Miz Blue came off the rail turning for home, split horses in upper stretch, and got up. She covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.96.

The victory ended a two-race losing streak for Dat You Miz Blue, who will make her next start in the Broadway Handicap, a seven-furlong race for New York-breds, on April 7. She won last year's Broadway by 7 1/4 lengths.

* Aaron Gryder went winless in five mounts on Sunday, but he had to leave Aqueduct considering himself the luckiest rider on the face of the earth. Gryder was aboard Makeyourselfathome, who had sprinted to an early lead in the fifth race. Just as Gryder guided the horse to the rail, Makeyourselfathome broke both front legs and went down, unseating Gryder. Paul Toscano, aboard Above the Crowd, did a yeoman's job of guiding his horse away from the spill, and Gryder was even more fortunate that Makeyourselfathome did not land on him when he fell. Gryder was able to finish his riding assignments.

* Jockey Rudy Rodriguez began serving a seven-day suspension for a careless riding infraction from Saturday's second race. Rodriguez was initially given 10 days, but it was reduced to seven when he waived his right to appeal. Meanwhile, Robbie Davis has appealed a 10-day careless riding infraction from Friday's eighth race. Davis is off to a 5-for-13 start at the spring meet.